


Good, Pure, Sweet & Nice

by MillionDollarTeddyBear



Series: Awkward Arthur & Marvelous Merlin: A Teenage Romance [3]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Teenagers, Awkward Romance, Boys In Love, Fluff, High School, M/M, Sweet, Teen Romance, Teenagers, Texting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-20
Updated: 2019-01-20
Packaged: 2019-10-12 22:53:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17476493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MillionDollarTeddyBear/pseuds/MillionDollarTeddyBear
Summary: Merlin never expected he'd be texting Arthur Pendragon, much less with planning their upcoming date as the conversation topic."...Oh my, oh my, oh my. Was Arthur Pendragon, golden vision of goddamned perfection, actually and honestly in love with him?"▪The events of the previous two fics in the series told through Merlin's perspective▪CAN BE READ AS A STANDALONE WORK





	Good, Pure, Sweet & Nice

**_Merlin_ **

_[Screenshot]_

**_Freyacat_ **

_Oh my Gooooood_

_**Daegal the piece of garbage who cheated at Halo** _

_*begins looking for proper white-tie attire for the upcoming wedding between Merls and Pendragon*_

**_Selenium & Fluorine_ **

_*stares at Daegal knowing well he thinks white-tie means wearing his_ **_special_ ** _Nine Inch Nails shirt*_

**_William (not Will, WILLIAM)_ **

_HAHAHAHAHAHA, are you still alive after that killer shade, Dae?_

_**Daegal the piece of garbage who cheated at Halo** _

_Uncalled for, Sef_

**_Mordremort_ **

_She's not far from the truth, babe_

**_Daegal the piece of garbage who cheated at Halo_ **

_You're supposed to protect my honor, you sorry excuse of a boyfriend_

**_Mother Hen-Gwen_ **

_I'm psyched you're talking to him, Merls!_

**_Freyacat_ **

_Totally rooting for you guys!_

_Thank God he isn't as prattish as he looks to be_

Merlin let out a small chuckle at that last message from Freya, albeit trying to be mindful of Killi who had deemed the rest of their spacious bed not good enough and plopped down on his chest instead. The pup stirred a bit, but remained asleep.

The dark-haired teen had taken a screenshot of a part of his conversation with Arthur and had sent it to their group chat. He had expected the image to spark a reaction amongst his best friends, and fell robotics team, albeit not one so soon. The moment after he had sent it they'd seen it and started commenting about his exchange with Arthur.

Speak of the devil, his phone buzzed with an arriving message from the blond Pendragon.

It was another picture, although this time the setting was different from the one some hours ago when they'd just started talking. It wasn't the bed where Arthur had taken the earlier pic, pillowy pink lips in a pout and cerulean eyes looking sad.

Opening the pic wider, he saw it was Arthur, cheek resting against his closed fist, elbow propped up on what Merlin assumed was the wooden surface of a desk. The light in the background cast a halo-like glow around Arthur, blond hair looking positively golden and radiant like a nimbus of amber glow. Arthur face read exasperation and exaggerated boredom.

  ** _Arthur_**

_I don't want to do my chem homework_

_Want to keep talking to you_

Merlin, who, the academic racehorse that he was, had begun on coursework and assignments the very instant he arrived home, let out a small laugh. Pouting was quite becoming of Arthur.

**_Merlin_ **

_finish it quickly then! C'mon, my valiant knight!_

That's what Merlin had been calling him for the past hour, ever since Arthur said he would save Merlin from the “adorable fiend” that was Killi. The dog hadn't left his chest since arriving hours back, and Merlin loved the little canine, that's the only reason he was bearing with this _utter attack_.

Spending his afternoon texting with _Arthur Pendragon_ was most surely not something he expected to be happening, but it was what he'd done that day. It had all started yesterday, when he was on his way to his first class of the day: French.

He was, uncharacteristically, walking alone. The robotics team knew of the struggle of bullying and in-school harassment, each of them having lived it, maybe for different reasons, in their younger years. So, now that they were a tightly knit friend group, they tended to walk through the school's halls together, frequently seen laughing with one another, arm in arm, as they made their way to class.

But the French classroom was located on the third floor of the Wace building, and nobody else had a class in that building first thing in the morning on Wednesday. Freya, Sef and Mordred went to the Monmouth building were the former had Advanced Mandarin and the latter two had Advanced Maths. Daegal and Gwen had their Chemistry lab in the Malory building, Will and Gilli had their classes in the De France building, the former going to Physics while the latter went to her Economics class.

So, Merlin was the odd one out as the only one at the Wace building on a Wednesday morning. So, when he was walking, pulling out his earbuds before he was chastised, the energetic tunes of a Spice Girls song going silent, and he was suddenly _pulled by someone,_ he reacted rather intensely.

Immediately whirring around and yanking his arm forward, away from the stranger's grasp, he let out a small shriek. He'd slung his bag forward and behind the round frames of his glasses his eyes were blown wide. I didn't even register who it was, just let out an incredulous sound and said gruffly, “Who the _fuc-”_

“I'm really sorry, Oh my God, Merls”, chuckled Morgana, putting her open hands in front of her in a sigh of “ _I come unarmed”_.

Merlin shook his head lightly, “You _scared_ me, Morgana!”, he admonished, albeit his shoulders lost their tension when she wrapped an arm loosely around his frame.

They hadn't been friendly with one another for long, just some few months, maybe. She had come up to him after his most recent presentation in their shared Business Studies class, and had complimented his efforts, “your model on micro-lending in Southeast Asian nations? Literally, _best thing ever”_ , she had said, nodding slowly in approval when the rest of their class had emerged in a rush into the sea of students. The pair had gone on to have heavy and intense discussions while sitting on one of the stone benches overlooking the on-campus Avalon Lake.

They weren't close or anything, not really. But they sometimes sent each other finance memes, because _yes,_ those existed and Morgana and Merlin had probably created enough historical finance and business memes to fill up a folder in both their galleries (they both in fact did have a folder titled “ _finance funnies”)._ And Morgana, who lived part of her childhood in France and whose mother's French heritage manifested in both her children being fluent in the language, was quite happy to help Merlin practice his French, which he said was terrible but was _really_ great. So, they talked at times.

“Didn't mean to scare you, just, just”, she murmured, looking both ways as if they were being spied on, “Come over here, come on”, she whispered, earning an arched brow from Merlin as he allowed himself to be led into an empty classroom.

Merlin frowned, “Don't you have Mandarin in Monmouth? You're going to be late to cla-”

“I have Physics in De France”, she interrupted, correcting him but she brushed it off, “But that's not the _point,_ Merlin”.

He let out a dramatic sigh, leaning against one of the desks, “What _is_ the point of my impromptu kidnapping, then?”, he chuckled, smiling at her.

“My brother is epically and stupidly in love with you”

“ _What?”,_ Merlin gasped, eyes blown wide in shock. “Th-what? No, c’mon Morgs, what? _What?”,_ he sputtered out, surprise drawn all over his features.

He felt a surge of multiple and varied emotions.

Confusion, because _wait, what?_ Morgana's brother? Arthur Pendragon, as in, y'know, _Arthur Pendragon?_

Bafflement, because _huh?_ In love? As in, with romantic feelings? Love, like, as in, _love?_

Denial, because _that wasn't true._ Arthur didn't even _know_ him, much less was in _love_ with him.

Introspection, because _oh, wait_ . Was _that_ why Arthur had come up to him and made _really weird_ attempts to start conversations? Was _that_ why all of Arthur's friends had started to talk to him.

Reflection, because _oh Merlin, oh my God, what?_ Was all of this coming to a head _right now?_ Just when he was about to give a big presentation in _French_ about the art of _miming_?

Realization, because _oh my, oh my, oh my._ Was Arthur Pendragon, golden vision of _goddamned perfection,_ actually and honestly _in love with him?_

And acceptance, because _hey, this wasn't even bad._ And if Arthur was as gone-for and awkwardly nervous about it all as Morgana said, then maybe _Merlin_ could be the one to get the ball rolling, right?

Hence, his trip to Arthur’s table during lunch. He'd already scribbled his phone number in his characteristically near-illegible scrawl during Advanced Maths with Gwen and Daegal. So, taking a deep breath after a pep-talk from Freya and Gwen, who were quite a motivating pair, after he had told them his plan, he had gone to Arthur's table. He'd decided to make the first move, and he blushed at the flabbergasted faces of Arthur's friends as he gave him a small pack on the cheek before rushing off after having given him the slip of paper.

So, that's how he had gotten to that position. Lying on his bed, a playlist of 90s pop playing on his phone, with Killi sprawled over his chest like run absolute _demonic fiend_ that he was, waiting for a message from Arthur.

Even though the blond hadn't replied yet, most likely following Merlin’s advice and getting his homework done, the dark-haired young man's phone kept vibrating. He opened it to find a series of messages had been arriving to the group chat with his best mates, who, not a coincidence, were the members of the school's robotics team.

**_Freyacat_ **

_Naming the baby after Hunith would be_ **_so_ ** _cute_

**_Gilli from Philly_ **

_We can only hope she'll be as amazing as her namesake_

**_Mordremort_ **

_Merls is also the biggest potterhead in the British Isles soooo_

_Don't rule out him deciding to go with something like Hermione_

**_Mother Hen-Gwen_ **

_Ooooooh!_

_If we go that route then what about James?_

**_Selenium & Fluorine _ **

_Classic and timeless_

_But still cool and it's Potter related so yeahhh_

**_Gilli from Philly_ **

_I second the motion for James Emrys-Pendragon_

**_Freyacat_ **

_WAIT_

_Why did nobody say something about how we haven't even thought about the order of the surnames, my dudes?_

**_Daegal the piece of garbage who cheated at Halo_ **

_omg, James like James Bay my baby_

**_William (not Will, WILLIAM)_ **

_*waits for Mordy to see Dae’s message*_

_Why don't you guys think he'd name the kid after me?_

**_Mother Hen-Gwen_ **

_*_ _shakes_ _head in disapproval*_

**_Gilli from Philly_ **

_No, William_

**_Mordremort_ **

_James Bay isn't even a good singer_

**_Daegal the piece of garbage who cheated at Halo_ **

_why are you like this_

**_Freyacat_ **

_Guys but what about Arthur's input_

_I mean, Merlin doesn't get to do all of the baby-naming_

Reading the messages, Merlin couldn't help but laugh loudly. His dog let out a dissatisfied grunt, rolling off him and settling into his side, but Merlin kept laughing as he read what his friends were sending. _Baby names?_ This is why he said they shouldn't let them leave the house.

**_Merlin_ **

_James is super cute_

_and no, none of my kids will bear your name, William_

_also, James Bay is epic, Mordremort, what sacrilege does thou spew from thou unenlightened mouth?_

The stupid buffoonery of their conversations was one of his favorite part of his friends. They'd really found kindred spirits in the robotics team and had become a gloriously tight-knit group. Their enthusiasm for Arthur and him was present since he told them of his plan to go up to the blond when they'd all arrived to their lunch table.

“Oh my _God”,_ breathed out Gilli, the first one to speak after an extended silence once he'd told them his plan. The American exchange student was slack-jawed and her eyes were wide. She was the most recent addition to their group, having arrived just some months ago from a school in Pennsylvania, hence the moniker that Merlin had her saved as on his phone.

Will nodded in realization, “So _that's_ why he comes up to you sometimes and acts like a weird deer caught in the headlights?”

Daegal shook his head lightly as he opened his packet of biscuits, moving to the center of the table so the rest of them could grab some. “You mean like yesterday?”, he offered as an example, biting into the biscuit.

Merlin nodded, his chin resting on his palm and still feeling a slight amount of doubt over his plan. He trusted Morgana, and he knew she had a penchant for elaborate schemes so her being upfront about it probably signalled she _wanted_ him to take action. It seemed Arthur wasn't being the most successful in that particular arena.

So, that's how he made it that point.

He'd made the picture that Arthur sent of himself, golden hair illuminated as of was woven from starlight and the exaggerated bored expression on his handsome face, his background on the messaging app. So upon opening it when he felt another buzz from his phone, his other hand occupied with softly running through Killi’s soft fur, it was the first thing he saw. Then, his blue eyes scrolled along the screen, seeing the latest arriving message from Arthur.

**_Arthur_ **

_What were you thinking for our date on Friday?_

_Romance isn't my strong suit as you've maybe noticed, haha, so I'm not coming up with the best ideas_

**_Merlin_ **

_unsure_

_bowling? have you ever gone to that cute little diner/bowling place that's by Monmouth Av. and Ninniane St.?_

**_Arthur_ **

_Can't say I have_

_Or that I've ever really gone bowling_

**_Merlin_ **

_what kind of uncultured monster are you, Pendragon?_

_lucky you then, we can go there if you're up for it?_

**_Arthur_ **

_Is bowling one of your life's passions?_

**_Merlin_ **

_I am bowling, bowling is I_

_and I'm pretty damn good at it too_

**_Arthur_ **

_Do you fail at anything???_

_You're literally perfect, haha, did you know that?_

**_Merlin_ **

_walking, tbh_

_I'm a clumsy child_

_and far from perfection, but your compliment is still very much welcomed_

Arthur, for his supposed lack of poetic charms, was turning out to be really sweet and great. When Merlin thought of him objectively, not taking in mind the stream of messages they'd been sharing, it didn't seem like the Arthur he knew from school would be sending him sweet little texts. Arthur was, well, _golden,_ simply put. The golden child of Camelot Technical Academy, known by its initials CTA, due to his immense popularity, undeniable good looks and status as not only the scion to the ages-old Pendragon bloodline but also as the captain of the school’s championship-winning footie team.

Merlin knew who Arthur was before then, knowing him as the tall blond guy who scored the winning goal last May that had the team bringing back a showy and ornate trophy for the school. So, it was strange trying to assimilate that the bloke that was heralded as the golden child of the school was _for some reason_ really interested in him. Even after Morgana's declaration and the events of that day, it was still weird to think about.

**_Arthur_ **

_Maybe you'll trip when you throw the ball and I'll win_

**_Merlin_ **

_you wish Pendragon_

_I'm going to beat you **so** hard on Friday _

**_Arthur_ **

_It's a date then, Merlin_

Weird, yes. But he could get _very_ used to weird.

**Author's Note:**

> Some points:
> 
> I've genderbent Gilli from the show to be Gilli, the newest member of the robotics team and the friend group, whose full name is actually Gillian. She prefers Gilli all the way though. 
> 
> I'm planning on doing more for this au, maybe their first date? 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed reading this work, thank you and feel free to leave kudos and comments! :)
> 
> [Title comes from pieces of lyrics taken from "Love Has All Been Done Before", by Jade Bird]


End file.
